The village of Knapton had its summer festival “Knapton Together” at the weekend of 4 and 5 July.

Open Gardens and Studios, a Flower Festival in the church, a display of vintage vehicles, Crafts and Gifts Fair and glorious sunshine attracted lots of visitors.

Saint Peter and Saint Paul Parish Church

The present church dates from mainly the 14th century and is famous for its carved angels. The promenant feature of this church is the roof,  a double hammerbeam. The beams and spandrels are richly carved with three tiers of angels which have outspread wings. More angels are carved on the kingposts and on the wall plate.

The theme of the Flower Festival was “Weddings”. This photo shows a flower arrangement by Mundesley Village Flower Shoppe.

Some of the gardens were absolutely stunning, and all highly individual.

And who would expect Stonehenge or the stone circles of Avebury in Knapton?…

Situated between Weybourne and Cley on the North Norfolk coast, the church also hosts one of the major yearly Norfolk art events, the North Norfolk Exhibition Project (NNEP).

Memoria RoubadaII by A Pacheco

The historic village of Trunch, North Norfolk, lies two miles off the coast. Its next seaside resort is Mundesley.

Trunch has now its own website with its own Trunch blog, informing about events in and around Trunch. Sounds boring? Well, have a look!

(Source: BBC) The Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2009 is set to put the county on the map as a home to one of the great celebrations of music, arts and culture.

The prestigious annual event is one of the oldest city festivals the UK.

“In scale and ambition, this ancient festival is now one of the top five in the UK,” said festival director Jonathan Holloway.

The festival, featuring an international line-up, takes place from Friday, 1 to Saturday, 16 May, 2009.

“Festivals have never been as popular as they are today,” said Jonathan.

“I may not know the value of my house in these times of turmoil in 2009, but I will always remember the first time I was moved to tears by great music or my first ‘gasp’ at a piece of theatrical magic.”

“Extraordinary experiences of art and creativity are priceless and last a lifetime,” he added.

Free events

Opening the festival this year will be two free musical-comedic performances by French-duo Ulik and Le SNOB outside The Forum, Norwich, on Friday, 1 May, 2009.

Dressed in cone-shaped gowns and hats spouting flames, the pair will showcase a contemporary art fiesta with music, humour and the promise of bizarre irregularities!

Les Commandos Percu will provide a loud and spectacular show on Saturday, 2 May, 2009, at Earlham Park encompassing pyrotechnics and fireworks along to the beat of their highly percussive performance.

World-wide reputation

The annual festival of the arts has a reputation for drawing upon an artists’ roster from around the world.

This year’s line-up includes contemporary composer Philip Glass, jazz pioneer Courtney Pine and soul sensation Mica Paris.

Philip Glass will be performing his first UK solo show since 2007. He has composed a number of operas, symphonies and has collaborated with artists Twyla Tharp, Allen Ginsberg, Woody Allen and David Bowie.

His solo performance at the Norwich Theatre Royal on Friday, 15 May, 2009, is a festival exclusive.

Courtney Pine and his Jazz Warriors will perform with their funk and reggae-influenced Afro-Caribbean jazz music and Mica Paris has been performing for more than two decades as a singer, working with artists such as Prince, but she also shot to fame in her own right as an actress and a TV and radio presenter.

Voices raised in song

Festival regulars The Voice Project Choir, based in Norfolk, makes a welcome return to this year’s festival, showcasing Norfolk voices in song with a concert at Norwich Cathedral.

“The cathedral is beautiful and I think the moment the choir arrive in it, the whole gear changes and the performers love the space,” said Sian Croose, conductor of the choir.

“To actually stand at the altar end and sing down the nave is quite an extraordinary experience,” she added.

The community choir will be singing I Prefer The Gorgeous Freedom, a major new work for choir and jazz quartet, written and performed by BBC award-winning jazz composer Gwilym Simcock.

The festival’s classical programme also includes performances by the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Academy Of Music, the Tallis Scholars and Nicola Benedetti, part of the Benedetti Trio, who made a name for herself as the 2004 BBC Young Musician Of The Year.

Family fun

The N&N Festival is keen to offer something for all the family. In 2009 the festival presents it’s most extensive children’s programme to date.

The Norwich Puppet Theatre invites you to relive the drama of 18th Century murder courtesy of Sweeney Todd.

Originally she trained as a pianist in her native Canada, and these days she continously performs in concerts, mainly in Norfolk. .

When she moved to Norwich in the 90s, her career took a complete new direction, as she qualified and worked as a hypnotherapist.

Her latest training made her a qualified art therapist. During her studies  a prolific flow of artwork, mainly abstract expressive paintings, began to develop. Her paintings are vibrant and very powerful, open to the viewer’s interpretation.

Poets of all ages can take part in competitions and readings.

Poetry workshops as well as readings by reputated poets are on offer, accompanied by concerts and art exhibitions.

Wells itself is a charming coastal resort on the North Norfolk coast. So, come and take part to discover your hidden talents!

Wells, sunset

“Robert and Lisa Sainsbury have for over 70 years acquired sculpture, painting, drawing, prints and photographs made by living artists. Large bodies of work by individual artists such as Henry Moore, Alberto Giacommetti, Francis Bacon and John Davies testify to the Sainsburys’ enduring fascination with the human figure.”

Standing Woman, 1959, Alberto Giacometti,
Bronze, edition of 2, h. 132.1 cm

Figure Early Cycladic (3200-2000 BC),
Greece: the Cyclades, Marble, h. 21.6 cm
The Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection of European Antiquities covers three main areas – the Cyclades (a group of Greek islands north of Crete), central and western Mediterranean (from Greece to Italy to the Iberian peninsula) and western Europe. The objects date from the Neolithic (c. 4500 BC) to the 16th century.

Reliquary head, Late 19th/early 20th century,
Central and East Africa, Gabon: Fang, Wood, brass discs, h. 26.0 cm
“The African objects within the Sainsbury collection are drawn from areas within Western, Central and Eastern Africa such as Benin, Yoruba, Ghana and Zaire, and span the 15th to the 20th century.”

Study for Portrait of P.L., no. 2, 1957, Francis Bacon
Oil on canvas ,h. 151.8 cm
“This painting of Bacon’s lover Peter Lacey demonstrates the smearing method of modelling faces which Bacon developed during the 1950s. The Collection includes 13 works by Francis Bacon which date from 1952 to 1965. They include two portraits of Lisa Sainsbury and a portrait of Robert Sainsbury for which they sat in 1955 and 1957.”

Super Catnap

The red bird

Artist Statement
“My prints are produced on a hand-operated press in the garden studio and are made in small editions. I then use watercolour and sometimes gold leaf to add richness. I also paint in the same studio (when there is space among the printmaking paraphernalia!)

I like creating guardians for home or work place. I find people are pleased with the idea of a benign, protecting presence. I have been commissioned to produce ‘angels’ for private houses, a sheep farm, a church, a village hall and even a yacht in Greece! The Eastern Daily Press featured my ‘house angel’ on the cover of the 2003 Open Studios brochure.

The inspiration for my pictures comes from stories and poems, angels and lovers, mermaids and myths – though I began with angels – hence the name of ‘angel art’ for my website.

I have recently been enjoying working with ‘creative partnerships’, an organisation for promoting creativity in schools through making connections between artists and young people. I also teach printmaking and welcome commissions from anybody with an interest in my work.”

Heavens Cloth

Naming the Birds

“Singapore Garden”

Artist Statement
“After Graduating as an art teacher I specialised in teaching children with special educational needs. I am presently working as a self-employed artist printmaker offering creative printmaking workshops from my home studio and in my local community.

I make imaginative, figurative collagaph and drypoint hand made prints. My images are based on personal memories, dreams or stories heard as a child. Less concerned with perspective, scale or realism I try to find forms to hold the feeling behind the stories being explored.

The collagraphs are taken from cardboard plates on which I score lines with a craft knife and add a variety of textures from everyday materials such as wallpaper, fabric and adhesive.

The drypoint prints are taken from Perspex or Crystaline Polypro plates, which have been scratched with a drypoint tool. Editions of prints are limited to 20. Each print is unique, varying in colour, texture and tonality as I often over work the prints in mixed media colour.”

“Bridle Lane”

“My green daughter”

“Sunflowers”